PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of term-time employment among undergraduate students and to identify the factors that affect the number of working hours in term-time employment. The study also aims to explore if students work during term time due to self-development or financial needs.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 400 undergraduates in a public university in Malaysia. A Tobit regression model was used to identify the factors that can significantly explain the varying working hours per week in the student sample.FindingsOnly 20.8% of the students in the sample undertook term-time employment, with an average of 16 working hours a week. The financial motivations to work were driven more by the need to sustain a desired lifestyle compared to financing basic living expenses. Students’ perceptions towards term-time employment significantly affected their working hours and likelihood of undertaking term-time employment.Practical implicationsAs students want to excel academically and at the same time gain working experience and skills, universities may want to revisit the higher education curriculum and reconsider the course credit weightage for academic and practical experience.Originality/valueInstead of just documenting the number of working hours among students, the study empirically explores the factors that affect the number of working hours and sheds light on the allocation of time and priorities by students among academics, self-development and social life.